The common thread, you are wondering? It might take a bit of a stretch, but here it is, in no particular order.

The Beatles’ epic”Sergeant Pepper’sLonely Hearts Club Band”

The Beatles, Ozzy Osbourne, and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page are all in the music biz. The backward message issue comes in to play here as well. Musicians (those Satan worshipping loonies) have used hidden messages to coerce young people to kill their parents, bite heads off of animals, and otherwise justify insane acts of violence. Just kidding. But the accusations fly, and have for a long time. Ozzy Osbourne (the Black Sabbath frontman who went solo, then rejoined Black Sabbath after sobering up) has a song called “Mr. Crowley,” which refers to none other than Aleister Crowley. Jimmy Page owns Crowley’s old mansion, as well as a grandiose collection of all things Crowley. It seems Jimmy has a bit of an Aleister fetish. The Beatles have the backward tunes and a picture of Crowley on the cover of one of their albums. No big deal, you say. Lots of musicians, especially the hard rockers and metalheads, try to work some of Crowley into their works and images, if for no other reason than to associate their images with an icon of “evil.”

True enough. But that’s entertainment.

Another connection to Aleister Crowley is one of his disciples – a self-taught chemist named John Whiteside Parsons (a.k.a. “Jack”). Werner von Braun called Jack Parsons the “true” father of American rocketry. Parsons was one of the original scientists involved in early rocket technology, specifically the chemical formulations for solid rocket fuel. He also did a great deal of work with jet assisted takeoffs, thereby allowing aircraft to take off from shorter runways. The group he worked with at the California Institute of Technology eventually morphed into the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is curious, then, why Parsons’ story is so foggy, to say the least.

It is widely known that Parsons was a follower of Aleister Crowley. Crowley was an English poet, magician, Satan follower, and a member (later the leader) of the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), or “Order of the Eastern Temple,” which was originally a cult of high ranking Freemasons. Crowley wrote several books that influenced many later cults and rock bands, and claimed himself as the “wickedest man in the world.” Crowley’s involvement with O.T.O. functioned as his means of disseminating his beliefs and practices, as well as his books. His work to promote the spiritual philosophy, “Thelema,” (a Greek word meaning “will” or “intention”) was done largely via the O.T.O. A great deal of complexity surrounds the ideas and beliefs of Thelema, as well as Crowley’s life, but his influence remains significant, and was especially for Parsons. Crowley died in 1947.

Robert Heinlein’sStranger in aStrange Land

Although he wasn’t a musician and probably didn’t play his music backwards, Parsons was involved with two rather famous writers – L. Ron Hubbard (Dianetics, Scientology, Battlefield Earth) and Robert Heinlein. Hubbard and Heinlein were both friends of Parsons and they shared his occult interests in magic, as well as inspirations from Crowley and “Thelema.” Parsons and his group attempted to create an incarnation of the goddess Babalon. The purpose of the Babalon Working, according to Parsons, was to create this entity, thus ushering in the Aeon of Horus. Some argue that this being manifested in the form of an Grey alien being, possibly in Roswell, New Mexico. Heinlein’s involvement is further supported through Stranger in a Strange Land, where the concept of Thelema is illustrated, but cleverly coded in the text.

Evidence from the Church of Scientology suggests that Hubbard was sent in by the government to dismantle the group of “black magicians,” including Parsons. Another Church of Scientology statement claims that Hubbard actually broke up the group, as though he completely opposed Parsons and never participated in what happened. It seems the church tried to clear Hubbard of any involvement with Parsons, his entourage, or any of the “black magic” going on in that group.

Jack Parsons

In 1950, the FBI investigated Parsons for having classified documents from his work with the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena (GALCIT). This explains why but a trace of information available from “official” sources, like the Web sites of NASA and the JPL, regarding the contributions of Parsons. For a man who was considered so significant in rocketry (and thus, to the space program and national defense), who has a statue at JPL, and a crater on the dark side of the moon in his name, it seems odd that Parsons is “lost” in history. His interest and activity in the O.T.O. is what keeps his spirit alive today, but the double-edged sword is that is also got him “accidentally” dead. (Parsons died in an “accidental” explosion while moving volatile chemicals from his home laboratory in 1952).

This also leads to the UFO connection. Some UFO researchers believe that the first flying saucer and Grey alien incidents, particularly Roswell, stemmed from the creation of the entity envisioned by Crowley and later, by Parsons. A sketch of an Enochian entity (from Crowley) looks strikingly similar to the quintessential Greys – the iconic extraterrestrial beings. Parsons had some kind of contact in a New Mexico desert, too, at this time, with a being from Venus. The timing of this also lends to the mystery because it all happened in 1946, just prior to the Roswell incident of 1947.

There are a number of other interesting connections with this group and the things that went on in Jack Parsons’s life and how they relate to the events of that time. Jack Parsons put the “JP” in JPL with his contributions to the science of solid rocket fuels and jet assisted take-off, but his other life pursuits effectively shadowed those contributions in a haze of mystery. His death, accident or not, automatically raises the skeptic’s eyebrow simply because his associations with certain people at that time, coupled with his knowledge of a sensitive subject, made him a target. Parsons’s story is a conspiracy theorist’s “land of opportunity” with all the coincidences involved and all the connections to prominent people at such a significant time.

The further this gets explored, the more questions arise. What did Parsons really know about UFOs and Ets if anything, and was his death the possible result of him knowing too much? Intentional or not, the story of Jack Parsons creeps into too many areas not to NOT be considered significant.

As to Crowley's experience in the supernatural,I remember in one case he did manage to summon a discarnate. It appeared as a dark globe (my sources seem to agree they appear as globes) and asked him why the hell he was disturbing it.

Some of mine are the same way.They paid me a visit "But we are not here to be your friends!We have other things to do."

Crowley's Magick group was a pseudo-masonic organization. He had ties to British intelligence which was obviously recruiting U.S. assets by enticing them with kinky sex. Hubbard's background was the Office of Strategic Services, now called the Office of Naval Intelligence.

There's some good insightful information about all these characters at Wikipedia.

BTW, you can bet the best engineers and physicists currently involved with the national weapons labs are 'hooked up' by networks today, though probably with pharmaceutical-grade brain implants. Imagine belonging to a network comprised of the top scientists, sharing top secret information about freakish technologies.

Between 1936 and 1939 Crowley paid a number of visits to Nazi Germany while Heinrich Himmler's Occult Corps (Geheimnisvolle Korps) recruited or persecuted all practicing occultists in Germany and incorporated into one organization the Thule Society, the Vril Society and the German branch of the OTO. [...] The Thule Society believed in highly intelligent, illuminated secret beings who work behind the scenes, much like Theosophy’s Ascended Masters and Golden Dawn’s Secret Chiefs.

In March of 1946, [OTO member Marjorie] Cameron witnessed a flying saucer over the Orange Grove house. She claimed that it was the “war engine” that was predicted in Aleister Crowley’s Book of the Law and the “sign” that [OTO member] Jack [Parsons] was waiting for.

“The flying saucers – the miracle! – our war machine! I saw the first one in the spring of 1946 at 1003. – Oh – my god. This is the sign (drawing of an inverted triangle within a circle) Flying Saucers – imagine!”

Had she reported it publicly, this would have been known as one of the first UFO sightings in America and would have preceded, by one year, Kenneth Arnold’s infamous sighting on June 24, 1947 – the sighting which propelled the “modern UFO era.”

This also leads to the UFO connection. Some UFO researchers believe that the first flying saucer and Grey alien incidents, particularly Roswell, stemmed from the creation of the entity envisioned by Crowley and later, by Parsons. A sketch of an Enochian entity (from Crowley) looks strikingly similar to the quintessential Greys – the iconic extraterrestrial beings.

Why does no one ever talk about Crowley and the loch ness monster? Seriously, his estate bordered on the lough and it was around this time the sightings started, remember Crowley was trying to open a portal at the time. And we know that water is involved a lot in relation to interdimensional travel...

wait a minute! you're saying the song Mr. Crowley is about ALEISTER CROWLEY? holy shit! you just blew my fucking mind! dude, parsons and crowley and jpl are part of the deepest and most fascinating stories in history but why you'd bring Ozzy into this I have no idea, he's a drug addled nincompoop I'm sure he's never read one of Crowley's books or even heard of Jack Parsons.

Visionary, author, and lecturer Paul Weston returns to the show in podcast episode 118 to conclude the conversation about his wonderful book, Aleister Crowley and the Aeon of Horus. Paul was our guest previously in podcast episode 106.

Weston begins the interview by discussing LAM, the object of a portrait drawn by Aleister Crowley in 1917 which resembles the descriptions of grey aliens and was included in a version of H. P. Blavatsky’s The Voice of the Silence with extensive commentary by Crowley. Subsequently, it appeared in Kenneth Grant‘s The Magical Revival as “… an extra-terrestrial Intelligence with whom Crowley was in astral contact in 1919.” (p. 84)

From there we move to the Babalon working of 1946 and John Whiteside Parsons. Paul notes that Marjorie Cameron may have seen UFOs shortly after the working concluded, but before the acknowledged public debut of the UFO mystery in 1947.

Evidence from the Church of Scientology suggests that Hubbard was sent in by the government to dismantle the group of “black magicians,” including Parsons. Another Church of Scientology statement claims that Hubbard actually broke up the group, as though he completely opposed Parsons and never participated in what happened. It seems the church tried to clear Hubbard of any involvement with Parsons, his entourage, or any of the “black magic” going on in that group.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 55549

No, not really. Although Hubbard was most certainly a double agent working for the U.S. intelligence community, I think he played both sides to further his own cause, and honestly, he must have been doing something right because he ended up one of the wealthiest men on Earth.

But I don't think the Church today shies away from Hubbard's occult doings. Just look at the symbolism of the grandiose sets that David Miscavige speaks on at events, and note that Hubbard's famous quote 'my good friend Aleister Crowley' still remains intact in a recorded lecture. Other heavily occultish Hubbard lecture series, such as "The Free Being", "On Comprehending the Incomprehensible", "The Phoenix Lectures", and "The Golden Dawn" are still very much in print and available.

wait a minute! you're saying the song Mr. Crowley is about ALEISTER CROWLEY? holy shit! you just blew my fucking mind! dude, parsons and crowley and jpl are part of the deepest and most fascinating stories in history but why you'd bring Ozzy into this I have no idea, he's a drug addled nincompoop I'm sure he's never read one of Crowley's books or even heard of Jack Parsons.

Evidence from the Church of Scientology suggests that Hubbard was sent in by the government to dismantle the group of “black magicians,” including Parsons. Another Church of Scientology statement claims that Hubbard actually broke up the group, as though he completely opposed Parsons and never participated in what happened. It seems the church tried to clear Hubbard of any involvement with Parsons, his entourage, or any of the “black magic” going on in that group.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 55549

No, not really. Although Hubbard was most certainly a double agent working for the U.S. intelligence community, I think he played both sides to further his own cause, and honestly, he must have been doing something right because he ended up one of the wealthiest men on Earth.

Danny Carey [link to en.wikipedia.org] Daniel Edwin "Danny" Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American drummer best known for his work in American Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool. [...] Carey progressed through high school and later college at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, he began expanding his studies in percussion with theory into the principles of geometry, science, and metaphysics as well as delving into Sacred Geometry and certain hidden aspects of life and the occult. [...]

Religion and the occult

Although Carey has not officially aligned himself with any particular school of philosophy or religion, he has projected a deep interest in and understanding for the magical arts - among them various occult teachings. Enochian symbols, geometric designs, and special symbolic percussive devices are featured on and in his drum kit. He is also a collector of First Edition Aleister Crowley books as well as books by one of Crowley's more innovative students, Kenneth Grant.

Geometric designs

Carey has laid claim to various drumming techniques that use sacred geometric figures such as the unicursal hexagram. The final product is very recognizable, fluent drumming, although to him it is much more: the official Tool website claims that Danny uses drumming as a ritual similar to occult rituals, with purposes varying from spiritual exploration to "a gateway [which] summoned a daemon he has contained...that has been delivering short parables similar to passages within The Book of Lies". Another geometric reference from the website was the inclusion of Nothing in This Book Is True... by Bob Frissell on the band's recommended reading list, a book that deals with sacred geometry and the evolution of human consciousness.

TOOL NEWSLETTER JULY, 2000 [link to www.toolband.com] During the 1950s, Crowley's last disciple, British occultist and current Outer Head of the Typhonian OTO, Kenneth Grant, worked rituals with his NU-ISIS lodge that were designed to receive Maatian emanations from Sirius. [...] It is also interesting to note that one of Crowley's drawings currently in the possession of the Typhonian OTO depicts an entity called Lam (The Way) which closely resembles those beings described by modern-day abductees (ie. greys).

Aleister Crowley was an evil magician, not because he had power but because he tapped into the power of evil spirits, who would do his bidding because of his allegiance to them and their master, the devil.

Way back in 1905, Crowley and his wife got into the occult, and Crowley saw and drew an alien, that looks identical to the aliens of Roswell infamamy. Through the channeling the entity introduced himself as "Lam". Hmmmmm, what comes to mind is "The Lamb of God"????

Note: The recent animated flick for kids called Planet 51, has a main character in it by the name of Lam!

And in this thread maybe we can also make definite links between Crowley's death, in 1947 to the advent of alien major introduction into the mainstream minds at Roswell.

And yes in this thread I am asserting the alien/demonic energy as one in the same!

Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons Reviewed by Adam Gorightly

Book Review:Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack ParsonsBy John Carter (Feral House, 1999)

The first in-depth look at the life of John Whiteside Parsons--pioneering rocket scientist, and ardent disciple of the notorious magus, Aleister Crowley--is finally available courtesy of Feral House in Sex and Rockets by John Carter. The release of this book, in my opinion, is an event long overdue, as I see in Parsons one of the most fascinating and important figures of the late 20th century; a man of great promise, who somehow fell short of his staggering potential. What makes this book all the more fascinating is the shift in focus that takes place throughout, as the author demarcates between "John Parsons" the brilliant rocket engineer, and "Jack Parsons" the failed magician, who in his attempt to cross the Abyss, fell into it instead, fulfilling a fiery destiny, which Parsons himself prophesied. Parsons, in many ways, possessed two separate selves--rocket scientist and magician--and this literary device is used throughout Sex and Rockets to illustrate the many contradictions that personified the life of a truly gifted, though equally flawed human being.

For those not in the know, Jack Parsons was a founding member of Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) back in the late 30´s, and one time head of the California branch of the magical order the Agape Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientalis (O.T.O.). Parson´s infamous reputation was fueled by several nefarious undertakings and associations, notwithstanding his alliance with the self-proclaimed "Wickedest Man Alive!"--Aleister Crowley--who directed O.T.O. operations from his base in England.

Another of Parsons´ claims to infamy was the mansion he owned at 1003 S. Orange Grove Ave. in Pasadena, CA, which hosted a menagerie of bohemians and other assorted social outcasts of the day, as well as serving as O.T.O. Headquarters. From there, rumors of drug intoxicated orgies and black magic ritual sacrifices abounded, not to mention tales of pregnant women dancing naked through hoops of ceremonial fire, and of innocent children being buggered by black robed brutes, under the aegis of occult forces. Although these legends continue to persist, police reports from the period suggest that the LAPD did not take any the allegations seriously, as documented in Sex and Rockets.

Going back to the original documents, Carter outlines Parsons´ numerous technical achievements, and his key role in the pre-NASA development of space technology. This, in itself, makes Sex and Rockets an invaluable resource for those interested in a broader historical perspective of John Whiteside Parsons. Starting in late 30´s, Parsons was an early pioneer in Rocket Engineering, a member of a group funded by the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (GALCIT), which later evolved into JPL. This group´s contribution to the war effort--as Carter points out--cannot be overlooked; nor can their early efforts in rocket engineering, which provided much of the impetus for later NASA projects in the late 50´s and 60´s, and the eventual landing of men on the moon.

Although Parsons has been memorialized by his peers with a statue at JPL--as well as the singular distinction of having a crater on the moon named after him (on the dark side, no less)-- he still remains an obscure figure in the halls of academia. (In a recent discussion with an aeronautical engineer, I mentioned the name ´Jack Parsons´, and he had no clue as to whom I was referring!)

In Sex and Rockets, Carter brings a measure of much needed clarity to the life and times of the enigmatic Parsons; an enigma that has been compounded over the years by varying degrees of misinformation and exaggeration as to just who Parsons was, and exactly what he was trying to accomplish with the Babalon Working rituals, performed in part with L. Ron Hubbard, the future founder of Scientology. The end result of the Babalon Working was to birth an elemental being; a ´Moonchild´ that--as Crowley stated in his Book of the Law--would be "mightier than all the kings of the Earth."

According to Thelemic legend, in 1918 Aleister Crowley came into contact with a interdimensional entity named Lam, who by the way is a dead ringer for the popular conception of the ´alien grey ´ depicted on the cover of Whitley Strieber´s Communion. From this purported encounter, some have inferred that the industrious Mr. Crowley intentionally opened a portal of entry--through the practice of a magick ritual, The Amalantrah Working--which allowed the likes of Lam and other ´alien greys´ a passageway onto the Earth plane. Furthermore, this portal may have been further enlarged by Parsons and Hubbard in 1946 with the commencement of the Babalon Working, thus facilitating a monumental paradigm shift in human consciousness.

In Sex and Rockets, Carter quotes Crowley successor Kenneth Grant, who wrote, "The [Babalon] Working began...just prior to the wave of unexplained aerial phenomena now recalled as the 'Great Flying Saucer Flap'. Parsons opened a door and something flew in." Carter also suggests it mighthave been the atomic bomb that opened this door between dimensions. He then further illustrates the importance of the year 1947, which ended the first stage of the Babalon Working, as Parsons and Hubbard parted ways amid a cloud of turmoil. 1947 was the year that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. In that very same year, Israel became a nation state, the transistor was invented and the sound barrier broken. Last, but certainly not least, the Modern Age of UFO's flew into view with the Kenneth Arnold sightings, followed not long after by the alleged saucer crash in Roswell, New Mexico. 1947 was also the year the Great Beast, Aleister Crowley died.

As history instructs, Parson's stormy life ended with a monumental bang when--on June 17, 1952--he accidentally blew himself to smithereens while working with powerful explosives. Some suggest that the explosion in question was no accident at all, and that foul play was involved. This is just one of the theories that Carter examines in Sex and Rockets, including the more bizarre scenario proffered by Michael Anthony Hoffman II, who contends that Parsons was attempting to conjure into existence an elemental being by way of an 'homunculus' experiment--an experiment that apparently backfired. While I find this theory--attributed to Parson's fiery demise--a bit difficult to swallow (much like Aleister Crowley's semen-filled 'longevity pills'), it nevertheless makes for some fascinating fodder.

Also of note is the wonderful introduction to Sex and Rockets by Robert Anton Wilson, no novice himself to the occult world of Jack Parsons. For years Wilson has kicked around the idea of writing the definitive biography of Aleister Crowley, as all previous endeavors in this area--in Wilson's estimation--have fallen far short in arriving at an accurate picture of Crowley, separating the real man from his monstrous myth.

To the contrary, Sex and Rockets is probably just the sort of biography that Wilson has envisioned for Crowley; a work stripped of myths and misconceptions, bolstered by hard research and detailed analysis of the life and times of a rising star that burnt out fast, who--in his descent--left behind a colorful trail for future generations to ponder.

Sirius Business: Was Aleister Crowley an Extraterrestrial Medium? [link to whofortedblog.com] 12/1/2012Edward Aleister Crowley, magus, poet, dandy, yogi, accomplished mountain climber, great beast, call him what thou wilt. The man was many, many things, but was he also an extraterrestrial contactee?

Throughout Crowley’s years as a magus, and his many, many magical experiments he often attempted to contact intelligences of the non-human variety. Through the uttering of ‘barbarous’ names, incantations and the regurgitation of ancient inscriptions and veiled verses, Crowley called forward all manner of spirits, daemons and invisible masters from which he sought council. One particular ‘entity’, or, at least, icon of the Crowleian pantheon that draws an intense amount of interest is the character known as ‘LAM’. Around 1917, in New York, Crowley drew the image of this ‘praeter-human intelligence’, after performing a ritual now known as the ‘Alamantrah’ working. During this experiment, a discarnate entity urged Crowley to “find the egg”, and it seems, at some point, Crowley experienced contact with this large headed entity we have come to know as LAM.

What’s interesting about LAM, or, at least, Crowleys drawing of LAM, is the stark resemblance it bares to the popular image of aliens we have come to know since the UFO boom following the Roswell incident in the 40s. Although we now have witnesses claiming to having encountered a whole multitude of different alien visitors, the most popular is still that of the ‘Grey’, a large headed, small featured alien that bares a striking resemblance to the figure Crowley apparently channeled during his Alamantrah Working. Yet Crowley’s image obviously far predates the UFO mania that followed the alleged alien crash and subsequent, apparent, alien visitations that followed.

Kenneth Grant & the Typhonian Order

The now famous drawing of LAM eventually found its way into the hands of Kenneth Grant, disputed, and exiled, leader of the OTO following Crowley’s death. Grant, in conflict with the main branch of the OTO, decided to go out on his own, and founded the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis, or simply, the Typhonian Order. Keeping this in concideration, it seems even more fitting that Crowley would eventually pass on this extraterrestrial image to Grant, as, although the Typhonian Order was commited to continuing the Law of Thelema, it also placed a large emphasis and interest in contact with non-human entities, daemons and praeter-human intelligences. Grant later claimed to have contacted intelligences that claimed a trans-Plutonian planet existed, named Isis, and formed the New Isis Lodge. He felt thus that the emphasis of ritual working in the New Isis lodge should be focussed on contact with the intelligences therein.

During contact with some disincarnate being, Grant claims that he was told the image of LAM is to present a ‘focus of an extraterrestrial’, and was to be used as a tool to contact LAM, or other extraterrestrial entities. “The portrait of (Lam) which is reproduced in The Magical Revival may be used as the visual focus, and can serve as the Yantra of the Cult; the name Lam is the Mantra; and the Tantra is the union with the dikpala by entering the Egg of Spirit represented by the Head. Entry may be affected by projecting consciousness through the eyes…” And so it became the focus as such to use a method devised by Grant to contact these alien intelligences through the image of LAM Crowley had received. Interestingly, Grant claimed that LAM was a means of communication between Sirius and Andromeda.